Pepsi has caved to pressure and pulled its controversial commercial, 24 hours after it ignited an international storm for featuring model Kendall Jenner settling a protest with a can of the beverage.
Many online argued the commercial dumbed down political issues and exploited protest movements.
The commercial has now been removed from Pepsi’s YouTube channel and the company apologized for “missing the mark” and putting Kendall Jenner “in this position.”
"Pepsi was trying to project a global a message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly, we missed the mark, and we apologise. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue,” the company wrote in a statement.
"We are pulling the content and halting any further rollout. We also apologise for putting Kendall Jenner in this position."
The commercial was greeted with howls of derision on social media.
“What a disrespectful ad. People are being arrested and dying fighting for justice. You solve it with Pepsi. Heinous,” one commenter said.
Many compared Jenner’s interaction with the cop to the iconic photograph of Black Lives Matter protester Leshia Evans defiantly confronting a line of riot police before being arrested.
A photo showing that something similar actually happened during a protest in Baltimore went viral with user @YeahItsWIlly noting that the tactic was not successful.
“We did this in Baltimore. Nothing changed,” he wrote. “Pepsi knew they wouldn't be able to find a black celebrity for that ad.”
The advertisement generated hundreds of thousands of reactions across social media with people posting memes expressing their disapproval alongside photos of iconic civil right moments. One of them depicted Martin Luther King Jr. being arrested with the caption: “Damn, I left my Pepsi at home”.
“The spirit of Pepsi – living in the ‘now’ moment – is one that I believe in,” Jenner said in a statement before the ad was released. “I make a conscious effort in my everyday life and travels to enjoy every experience of today.” She has yet to comment on the controversy.
Pepsi initially defended the commercia in a statement to Ad Week defending the commercial: “This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think that’s an important message to convey.”